ASUS EAH3870 Top Video Card Review

Benchmarks

Features & Specifications
The ASUS EAH3870 Top video card shares the same features in common with its other ATI HD 3870 brethren like onboard sound. The ASUS EAH3870 Top video card uses 512MB of DDR4 RAM that runs at 2.28 GHz. The cards core runs at 851MHz. the memory interface is 256-bit and outputs include dual DVI, HDTV out and adapters for DVI to HDMI and DVI to D-sub are included. The ASUS EAH3870 Top video card is HDCP complaint for playing HD Movies.

Test Machine
The test system I will be using for this review has the following specifications:

Motherboard: Asus M3A32-MVP Deluxe (RD790)

Floppy: Sony (black)

DVD Rom: SATA Asus (black)

DVD RW: SATA Sony (black)

Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD SATA (150GB)

Western Digital SE16 500GB SATA

Power Supply: SEASONIC M12SS-700HM 700WATTS

Chassis: Lian Li PC-7B Plus (Black)

Heat Sink: AMD validated B3 model AJIGO MF091-096 CPU COOLER

Memory: Corsair CM2X1024-8500C5D (2x1GB = 2GB total)

Operating system: Vista Ultimate 32-bit

Benchmarks & Testing
To test the video card I will be using 3Dmark06, Crysis, Bioshock and Quake Wars. The first test up is 3DMark06.

3DMark06
I ran 3DMark06 at default settings in the application and default setting sin the ATI control panel. The ASUS EAH3870 Top scored as follows in 3DMark06:

Total 3DMarks- 11021li>SM2.0- 4426

HDR/SM3.0- 4882

CPU- 3394

Return to Proxycon- 35.341

Firefly Forest- 38.430

Canyon Flight- 46.482

Deep Freeze- 51.151

CPU1- 1.105

CPU2- 1.668

To compare the ASUS HD3850 Top I reviewed not long ago scored 10257 3DMarks and the XFX 9800 GX2 (tested on a different system) scored 16277 3DMarks.

Crysis
The next test up for the ASUS EAH3870 Top was Crysis, and the card performed well. I ran the game at 1600 x 1200 with no AA and all settings on medium. I used Fraps to record frame rate data on the first level at the initial beach insertion. Fraps recorded the following frame rate data:

Min- 19 fps

Avg- 43.427 fps

Max- 65 fps

Quake Wars
The next game test up was Quake Wars which I ran t a screen resolution of 1920 x 1200 with high quality settings, 8x AA and all settings on high. I used Fraps to record frame rate data on a single player map called Africa Refinery. Fraps recorded the following frame rate data:

Min- 20 fps

Avg- 40.473 fps

Max- 62 fps

Bioshock
The final game test up for the ASUS EAH3870 Top was with Bioshock. I ran the game at 1920 x 1200 with all settings on high and high detail shaders on, high detail post processing on, shadow maps on and distortion on. I used Fraps to record frame rate data and got the following results:

Min- 29 fps

Avg- 40.974 fps

Max- 61 fps

Final Thoughts
I was happy with the performance of the ASUS EAH3870 Top video card. It performs very well for the price and ASUS has a nice bundle that includes Company of Heroes- Opposing Fronts with the card. The factory overclocking of the card is very nice and on the whole the ASUS EAH3870 Top is a good option for ATI fans.

Verdict

Conclusion

Pros

Good bundle

Good Performance

Cons

Down on performance compared to some NVIDIA parts

Verdict
In the end the ASUS EAH3870 Top is a good card for the ATI fans out there that performs well at a price that is reasonable by top-end graphics card standards. ASUS includes a nice bundle with its cards whereas some other vendors offer nothing extra for the same price. If you are in the market for an ATI HD 3750, the ASUS EAH3870 Top is a great choice.

The Author

Shane McGlaunTech and Car expert Shane McGlaun (Google) reports about what's new in these two sectors. His extensive experience in testing cars, computer hardware and consumer
electronics enable him to effectively qualify new products and trends. If you want us review your product, please contact Shane.
Shane can be contacted directly at shane@i4u.com.

News by Section

About I4U News

I4U News is a daily Personal Tech News site and shopping guide. Find the latest technology news, toy news, and best deals in tech and toys. Our The Tracker app helps you to find the hottest products in stock online anywhere and anytime. Read more.